1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field)
The present invention relates to an apparatus for dividing the seating space of a vehicle, using a rigid unit to adjustably compartmentalize the seat. The present invention is also a method for partitioning a vehicle seating space.
2. Background Art
Law enforcement officers have often encountered problems in the physical transportation of belligerent or intoxicated individuals. Often the individual lies down, posing a suffocation problem in intoxicated individuals, or, in the case of belligerent persons, kick or slam the windows with their heads or feet. This poses not only a potential injury problem, but also a risk of property damage to the officer's automobile.
In addition, the goal to uneventfully transport more than one individual per seat has been difficult, if not impossible, due to the inability to prevent physical contact between the two.
Traditional law enforcement vehicles utilize a barrier between the front seat and back seat of the vehicle. While this barrier serves as a means of protection for the officer, its design necessarily prevents the officer from physically controlling the individual(s) within the back seat. Handcuffing the individuals to some portion of the back seat limits their movement somewhat, but still does not prevent lying down, kicking, or head-thrashing.
Yet another obstacle to transporting restrained individuals is encountered in the situation of two officers: traditionally, an officer has to put his/her equipment in the passenger front seat With two officers, there is no convenient place for such equipment; the back seat is not available for such a use because of the presence of the individuals to be transported. A further problem arises when the officer(s) are accompanied by a canine.
Many inventions have dealt with confinement, separation and safety issues by compartmentalizing the front seat from the back seat. These include the following: U.S. Pat. No. 3,190,687, to Johnson, entitled Sectionalizing Barrier for Automobiles; U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,467, to Guimelli, entitled Vehicle Safety Screen Fixing Means; U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,666, to Dillon, entitled Mounting System for Security Shield in Police Vehicles; U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,842, to Dillon, entitled Security Vehicle System; U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,564, to Coogan, entitled Luggage Safety Barrier, U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,815, to Beaudet, entitled Pet Restrainer for Passenger Vehicles; U.S. Pat. No. 3,169,781, to Abruzzino, entitled Safety Net for Vehicle Occupants; U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,057, to Stewart, entitled Vehicle Partition; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,941, to Solomon et. al., entitled Vehicle Interior Barrier.
Others recognized the need to protect the driver, e.g. in taxicabs and buses. This led to the development of rigid, immovable enclosures around the driving space. Such inventions include U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,735, to Joyner, entitled Protective Enclosure for a Bus Driver, U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,286, to Taylor, III et. al., entitled Transport Vehicle Protective Shield; U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,788, to Jan et. al., entitled Safety Arrangement in a Taxi; U.S. Pat. No. 1,611,248, to Smith, et. al., entitled Automobile Body; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,549,195, to Kallinikos, entitled Driver Protective Apparatus for Taxicab.
Other patents that involve protecting individuals or animals utilize vastly different mechanisms, and include U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,523, to Herndon, entitled Ejection Seat Restraint System for Limbs and Head, disclosing a net that encompasses the pilot; U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,883, to Mayo, entitled Infant Sun Shade Apparatus, disclosing a malleable sunshield that is placed around a seated infant; U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,728, to May, entitled Animals Transportation Container, disclosing an animal cage that encompasses the entire rear seat of a vehicle; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,219,412, to Dean, entitled Transfer Cell for Automobiles, disclosing a prisoner cage encompassing the entire rear seat of a vehicle.
Several other inventions provided a device for dividing a rear vehicle seat, but were not suited for the needs of transporting potentially dangerous individuals. These include U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,837, to Chapman, entitled Vehicular Child Divider Apparatus, disclosing a soft panel that is removably hooked over the seat; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,652,120, to Bernbach, entitled Child Restraining Gate for Automobiles, disclosing a gate mounted to enclose the entire seat excluding the floor space.
These above-referenced patents provided some measure of security, but did not even address the problem of transporting multiple individuals. In response to this need, pressure was put upon the industry to create variations of a barrier that allows multiple prisoner transport. Patents in this category include U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,141, to Dirck, entitled Security Vehicle Such as for Transporting Prisoners Having Double Doors, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,680,416, to Dirck, entitled Prisoner Transport Module. These patents disclose a vertical, non-adjustable lengthwise barrier permanently fixed to divide the rear portion of a van.
The need to isolate a passenger seat from the front seat led to the development of yet another type of divider, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,817, to Niehaus, entitled Vehicle Security Cage. In Niehaus, the divider is a fixed L-shape divider installed to compartmentalize one section (approximately 1/3) of the rear seat. It is made of metal or glass, and intentionally leaves open access between the driver's seat and the other portion of the rear seat. This configuration would allow for safe transport of only one prisoner, and does not address the issues relating to violent or intoxicated individuals. Also, it cannot be used in a vehicle that has an existing front-and-rear seat barrier, as do many public safety and police vehicles.
The present invention is an apparatus for dividing a seat, such as a back seat, of a vehicle. It successfully addresses the problems encountered in situations of transporting belligerent or intoxicated individuals or prisoners, and transporting multiple persons, or a canine and a restrained person. It also addresses the problem of safely carrying an officer's equipment.